Roots Republic

After the Starting Whistle
By Toni Parsons

The afterglow of the COPE launch was short lived in the wake of meeting disruptions, ANC manifesto and election campaign launches and most recently, the ongoing Zuma appeal saga.

The lack of ‘COPE’ headlines, however, is not to say that the new party hasn’t created a force field that is shifting South African democracy and colouring political events with a new hue.

The creation of a new party put all politically (perhaps previously un-) accountable bodies in the spotlight, and with a relatively short time frame to work in, everyone under scrutiny is putting in the effort for a stellar performance in the hopes of snaring or keeping a few extra votes in April.

The disruption of COPE meetings by people claiming to be ANC members was unfortunate for the ANC in that it came across as unsportsmanlike, and more importantly, unconstitutional. Denying that the factions responsible were ANC members did not seem to placate anyone and seemed to be more like shying away from responsibility than allowing members of the public to do as they felt politically obliged.

The launch of the ANC manifesto and its election campaign was accompanied by the prerequisite list of promises and statistics of what is to come. Click here to view the stats.

Little was mentioned about the, thus far, unfulfilled promises leftover from the last election or the numbers of people who have expressed deep dissatisfaction regarding the current running of affairs. Even a list of current positive statistics was a little blurry round the edges.

The ANC stood up and made a long list of promises they will fulfil should they be re-elected - none with a clear outline for implementation, funding or a time frame. COPE has highlighted a number of concerns and unmet promises on the part of the ANC that had previously gone largely without public address, but the ANC failed to address these.

On the other side of the fence, the DA has taken to the advent of COPE with aplomb. Helen Zille’s speech at the convention on the 1 November 2008, coupled with a subtle change in opposition policy notable in her address on 11 January, (click here for the full address) have indicated that COPE has initiated what looks to be the best shot South Africa has at democracy. Zille’s speech, while still highly critical of the ANC, put forward a number of positive changes on the part of the DA, that have opened up an increased propensity for dialogue between the ANC and the opposition parties. This is something that previously was difficult to attain when any criticism of the ANC by the DA came across as petty inter-party sniping.

COPE has, up until last weekend, gone about their business as is to be expected of a fledgling party. Through their campaigning for members and setting up branches, even when said activities were disrupted, COPE has behaved in an appropriate and dignified manner.

Everything was chugging along nicely until the Kwa-Zulu Natal leg of canvassing on the weekend of January 10, with Lekota’s chilling echo of Julias Malema’s much publicised call for bloodshed in June 2008. Malema was heavily criticised for his call for ‘killing for Zuma’, and, unfortunately, Lekota’s claim that the party will need those ‘willing to go to jail, willing to spill blood’ will have resonated with a number of people, and not in a way that would incite them to bumble off and sign up for COPE.

That glitch aside, all the big indicators and milestones of the past month have been beyond spectacular, However, the most important facet of the post COPE launch should not be overlooked. More than anything, the creation of COPE has reignited an interest and an active participation on the part of the largely disillusioned South African population. It has opened up the dialogue and fostered a feeling that, perhaps, the political landscape is not pre-ordained. I think Evita Bezuidenhout said it best in the latest Nando’s advertising campaign: you can’t just have A an’ C. Check it out ....